“SMALLVILLE” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
“Persuasion” (CONTENT RATING TBD) (HDTV)
LOIS MOVES IN WITH CLARK — It is Valentine’s Day and while Clark (Tom Welling) is out on a date with Lois (Erica Durance), he unknowingly becomes infected by gemstone kryptonite, which has magical wish-fulfilling properties. Clark mentions to Lois that he wishes they had a more traditional relationship,so Lois quits the Daily Planet, moves in with Clark and starts planning their wedding. Still unaware of his new power, Clark also casually tells Chloe (Allison Mack) he wishes she would spend more time watching out for him, so an infected Chloe takes his wish to heart and sets her sights on a new target – Lois. Christopher Petry directed the episode written by Anne Cofell Saunders (##3X5264).
Source: CW
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Covers for Angelus #4 and Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #4
First one: Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #3
Second one: Angelus #4
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Walking The Road To Artifacts
In the Top Cow Universe, there are thirteen different Artifacts that hold significant power over the fate of mankind, and it is prophesized that bringing all thirteen together would instigate an event so catastrophic as to literally herald the end of the world. Unfortunately for the denizens of this universe, that's exactly what is happening in the pages of "Artifacts," the publisher's upcoming 13-issue maxi-series written by Ron Marz that's set to launch this summer. While the potential apocalypse is still quite a ways from being realized, Top Cow has no shortage of plans to prepare their readership for the events of "Artifacts." CBR News spoke with Marz and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik about the company's plans for the build-up to "Artifacts" and beyond.
"The basic premise of the series is the basic premise of the Top Cow Universe," Marz told CBR of the plot for "Artifacts." "We've had this ongoing background story that there are thirteen Artifacts of power in the Top Cow Universe. The Witchblade is an Artifact and the Darkness is an Artifact, the Spear of Destiny that Magdalena has is an Artifact. It's been this background mythology, so 'Artifacts' is thirteen issues that bring all of it to the front. We'll reveal all of the Artifacts - two are still unrevealed - and one of the background elements is that if all thirteen Artifacts are brought together, it means the end of the world. So, what we're going to do is bring all of them together."
"It's a pretty organic outgrowth of the stories we've been telling for a number of years," added Sablik. "Internally, we've had the idea of the thirteen Artifacts established for a number of years, so it was always something in the back of our heads. After 'Broken Trinity,' [Top Cow's President] Matt Hawkins suggested we finally lay our cards on the table and give fans the fully monty, so to speak. Ron was the natural and only choice to write the series."
As an all-expansive crossover project, fans can expect appearances from most of the major Top Cow players, but there are two in particular taking center stage. "It's very much a story about the two main characters in the Top Cow Universe, Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado," said Marz. "I'm all for big, epic sweeping stories, and right now, comics is rife with these huge multi-part crossovers. But if there isn't an emotional content and some real character stuff at the center of that story, I think it all becomes like a Michael Bay movie, all blood and thunder that doesn't amount to anything. The emotional core of the story is Sara and Jackie, who are the parents of Sara's daughter Hope. Without giving too much away, a fair portion of the story is focused on who or what Hope really is and what she means to the Top Cow Universe."
The Darkness was the second Artifact revealed to the Top Cow UniverseSeeing as Jackie, Sara and their daughter have such prominent roles in "Artifacts," it's reasonable to expect some build-up to the maxi-series to occur in both "Witchblade" and "The Darkness," though that might not begin immediately. "For the next few months, 'Witchblade' and 'Darkness' will continue as they are," said Marz. "As 'Artifacts' gets ramped up, it'll be a fairly long series because we're going for thirteen issues, and as things play out in 'Artifacts,' they'll be reflected in the main books, but not in such a way that one doesn't make sense without the other."
But the story extends beyond just Sara, Jackie and Hope. According to Sablik, readers can walk the road to "Artifacts" by reading two of the company's latest miniseries. "Obviously there will be elements seeded in 'Witchblade' and 'The Darkness,' but we're also laying the groundwork in 'Angelus' and 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box,'" he said. "'Angelus' will do a lot to make [Danielle Baptiste] feel more like a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character, rather than just a foil for the Darkness or the Witchblade bearers. We'll also be lifting the veil back on what the Angelus means in the Top Cow Universe and why it does the things it does. And lastly, we'll be giving readers a peak at another lesser-known Artifact and a new Artifact bearer.
"In 'Pandora's Box,' we'll be getting more into what makes Finn and Glori [the respective Glacier Stone and Ember Stone bearers] tick both as people and as Artifact bearers," Sablik continued. "At the end of 'Broken Trinity,' both characters were basically tasked with tracking down and gathering the other Artifacts, so you'll see them coming to terms with that charge. Again, we'll be unveiling a new Artifact and establishing its place in the universe. I'm very excited about both series and the opportunity to build this wider, more cohesive world."
While "Angelus" and "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" both lay groundwork towards "Artifacts," Marz insisted that they stand alone from the upcoming maxi-series. "I don't want to give the impression that this is going to turn into a 40-issue mega event like some of what Marvel and DC are doing, because that's not how we're approaching it," he said. "The 'Angelus' series is very much a standalone series. Its main purpose is to establish Dani as the Angelus, but there will be threads through the series that will come to fruition or appear again in 'Artifacts.' It's the same situation with 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box,' which is designed to flesh out Finn and Glori, so first and foremost, that's what it'll do. But there will be an element or two that crop up again in 'Artifacts.' Those series stand on their own and will have a beginning, middle and end, but for somebody who is reading everything, it will form a bigger tapestry if you pay attention to the details. They'll funnel some plot threads into 'Artifacts,' but they certainly stand on their own."
The third Artifact, the Angelus, just launched it's own Top Cow title while "BR: Pandora's Box" introduces two more"Let me be perfectly clear, these series were in the plans before we even decided to do 'Artifacts,'" Sablik agreed. "They stand on their own and should be great reading experiences on their own, even for fans that don't end up reading 'Artifacts.' But as we started putting these projects together, we saw natural places where they could interconnect and build towards 'Artifacts,' so we seized the opportunity. Readers who pick up both of these series and then read 'Artifacts' will have a richer and deeper reading experience because of it. And conversely, readers interested in picking up 'Artifacts' should not feel like reading either 'Angelus' or 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box' are necessary to enjoy 'Artifacts,' but it will be better. It's kind of like a good cocktail before a fantastic meal. Sure, it isn't necessary, but isn't your meal better with one?"
Sticking with the meal metaphor, die-hard Top Cow fans might want to pick up "Angelus," "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" and other "Artifacts" tie-ins so they can savor their memories of the publisher's universe as it stands - because according to Marz, the Top Cow Universe's landscape is going to change forever after the events of "Artifacts."
"I know that bit of ad copy appears on everybody's crossovers, but in this case, it's very true," teased the writer. "The plan is fairly dramatic. If we're going to tell a big world-changing story, it's going to be a world-changing story. We're going to do this and do this once - it won't be an ongoing series of earth-shattering events that each has 37 parts. I know that's a viable publishing plan for Marvel or DC with an ongoing series of shocking events, but in terms of what you're giving to the audience, it ultimately becomes the boy who cried wolf. You can only say, 'Holy shit, this is the most exciting and astounding earth-shaking event we've ever done...except for the one a few months from now' [so many times], so our thinking going into this was to not hold anything back. If we're going to do something that makes people's jaws drop, let's do it. Let's not parcel it out."
"This isn't a story we are doing because we were looking for the next big event or to correct some continuity problems, but because organically, this is where the story had to go naturally," added Sablik. "This is the next logical step in the evolution of the Top Cow Universe. This isn't a story that could be told in 'Witchblade' or 'The Darkness.' It's not a Sara or a Jackie story, or even a Dani or Finn or Glori story. This is a Top Cow Universe story, and it's the biggest one yet."
"Artifacts" kicks off during the summer of 2010. The road to "Artifacts" can currently be traveled in the pages of "Witchblade," "The Darkness," "Angelus" and "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box."
Source: CBR (Comic Book Resources) http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24503
"The basic premise of the series is the basic premise of the Top Cow Universe," Marz told CBR of the plot for "Artifacts." "We've had this ongoing background story that there are thirteen Artifacts of power in the Top Cow Universe. The Witchblade is an Artifact and the Darkness is an Artifact, the Spear of Destiny that Magdalena has is an Artifact. It's been this background mythology, so 'Artifacts' is thirteen issues that bring all of it to the front. We'll reveal all of the Artifacts - two are still unrevealed - and one of the background elements is that if all thirteen Artifacts are brought together, it means the end of the world. So, what we're going to do is bring all of them together."
"It's a pretty organic outgrowth of the stories we've been telling for a number of years," added Sablik. "Internally, we've had the idea of the thirteen Artifacts established for a number of years, so it was always something in the back of our heads. After 'Broken Trinity,' [Top Cow's President] Matt Hawkins suggested we finally lay our cards on the table and give fans the fully monty, so to speak. Ron was the natural and only choice to write the series."
As an all-expansive crossover project, fans can expect appearances from most of the major Top Cow players, but there are two in particular taking center stage. "It's very much a story about the two main characters in the Top Cow Universe, Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado," said Marz. "I'm all for big, epic sweeping stories, and right now, comics is rife with these huge multi-part crossovers. But if there isn't an emotional content and some real character stuff at the center of that story, I think it all becomes like a Michael Bay movie, all blood and thunder that doesn't amount to anything. The emotional core of the story is Sara and Jackie, who are the parents of Sara's daughter Hope. Without giving too much away, a fair portion of the story is focused on who or what Hope really is and what she means to the Top Cow Universe."
The Darkness was the second Artifact revealed to the Top Cow UniverseSeeing as Jackie, Sara and their daughter have such prominent roles in "Artifacts," it's reasonable to expect some build-up to the maxi-series to occur in both "Witchblade" and "The Darkness," though that might not begin immediately. "For the next few months, 'Witchblade' and 'Darkness' will continue as they are," said Marz. "As 'Artifacts' gets ramped up, it'll be a fairly long series because we're going for thirteen issues, and as things play out in 'Artifacts,' they'll be reflected in the main books, but not in such a way that one doesn't make sense without the other."
But the story extends beyond just Sara, Jackie and Hope. According to Sablik, readers can walk the road to "Artifacts" by reading two of the company's latest miniseries. "Obviously there will be elements seeded in 'Witchblade' and 'The Darkness,' but we're also laying the groundwork in 'Angelus' and 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box,'" he said. "'Angelus' will do a lot to make [Danielle Baptiste] feel more like a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character, rather than just a foil for the Darkness or the Witchblade bearers. We'll also be lifting the veil back on what the Angelus means in the Top Cow Universe and why it does the things it does. And lastly, we'll be giving readers a peak at another lesser-known Artifact and a new Artifact bearer.
"In 'Pandora's Box,' we'll be getting more into what makes Finn and Glori [the respective Glacier Stone and Ember Stone bearers] tick both as people and as Artifact bearers," Sablik continued. "At the end of 'Broken Trinity,' both characters were basically tasked with tracking down and gathering the other Artifacts, so you'll see them coming to terms with that charge. Again, we'll be unveiling a new Artifact and establishing its place in the universe. I'm very excited about both series and the opportunity to build this wider, more cohesive world."
While "Angelus" and "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" both lay groundwork towards "Artifacts," Marz insisted that they stand alone from the upcoming maxi-series. "I don't want to give the impression that this is going to turn into a 40-issue mega event like some of what Marvel and DC are doing, because that's not how we're approaching it," he said. "The 'Angelus' series is very much a standalone series. Its main purpose is to establish Dani as the Angelus, but there will be threads through the series that will come to fruition or appear again in 'Artifacts.' It's the same situation with 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box,' which is designed to flesh out Finn and Glori, so first and foremost, that's what it'll do. But there will be an element or two that crop up again in 'Artifacts.' Those series stand on their own and will have a beginning, middle and end, but for somebody who is reading everything, it will form a bigger tapestry if you pay attention to the details. They'll funnel some plot threads into 'Artifacts,' but they certainly stand on their own."
The third Artifact, the Angelus, just launched it's own Top Cow title while "BR: Pandora's Box" introduces two more"Let me be perfectly clear, these series were in the plans before we even decided to do 'Artifacts,'" Sablik agreed. "They stand on their own and should be great reading experiences on their own, even for fans that don't end up reading 'Artifacts.' But as we started putting these projects together, we saw natural places where they could interconnect and build towards 'Artifacts,' so we seized the opportunity. Readers who pick up both of these series and then read 'Artifacts' will have a richer and deeper reading experience because of it. And conversely, readers interested in picking up 'Artifacts' should not feel like reading either 'Angelus' or 'Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box' are necessary to enjoy 'Artifacts,' but it will be better. It's kind of like a good cocktail before a fantastic meal. Sure, it isn't necessary, but isn't your meal better with one?"
Sticking with the meal metaphor, die-hard Top Cow fans might want to pick up "Angelus," "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" and other "Artifacts" tie-ins so they can savor their memories of the publisher's universe as it stands - because according to Marz, the Top Cow Universe's landscape is going to change forever after the events of "Artifacts."
"I know that bit of ad copy appears on everybody's crossovers, but in this case, it's very true," teased the writer. "The plan is fairly dramatic. If we're going to tell a big world-changing story, it's going to be a world-changing story. We're going to do this and do this once - it won't be an ongoing series of earth-shattering events that each has 37 parts. I know that's a viable publishing plan for Marvel or DC with an ongoing series of shocking events, but in terms of what you're giving to the audience, it ultimately becomes the boy who cried wolf. You can only say, 'Holy shit, this is the most exciting and astounding earth-shaking event we've ever done...except for the one a few months from now' [so many times], so our thinking going into this was to not hold anything back. If we're going to do something that makes people's jaws drop, let's do it. Let's not parcel it out."
"This isn't a story we are doing because we were looking for the next big event or to correct some continuity problems, but because organically, this is where the story had to go naturally," added Sablik. "This is the next logical step in the evolution of the Top Cow Universe. This isn't a story that could be told in 'Witchblade' or 'The Darkness.' It's not a Sara or a Jackie story, or even a Dani or Finn or Glori story. This is a Top Cow Universe story, and it's the biggest one yet."
"Artifacts" kicks off during the summer of 2010. The road to "Artifacts" can currently be traveled in the pages of "Witchblade," "The Darkness," "Angelus" and "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box."
Source: CBR (Comic Book Resources) http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24503
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
TopCow News for April 2010
Angelus #4
story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC
APRIL 7
32 PAGES / FC / LIMITED SERIES
An ARTIFACTS lead-in series!
Casting The Darkness behind her, Dani moves further into the Light to accept her new role as The Angelus. But a familiar adversary is not about to let her and her companion Finch settle into New Orleans without incident! Will Dani see the vipers in her midst before it’s too late?
Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #3
story ROB LEVIN & BRYAN EDWARD HILL
art ALESSANDRO VITTI
cover TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
APRIL 21
32 PAGES / FC / LIMITED SERIES
$3.99
The ARTIFACTS lead-in heats up!
Elias and the Disciples of Eden are drawing closer and closer to Pandora’s Box, one of the 13 Artifacts, threatening to remake the world in their mad vision. Meanwhile Finn and Glori, the bearers of the Glacier and Ember Stones, race around the globe to beat the Disciples and each other to the same goal.
From newcomers Rob Levin (The Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Bryan Edward Hill (Broken Trinity: Aftermath), and artist Alessandro Vitti (Secret Warriors). Featuring covers by Tommy Lee Edwards (1985, Turf)!
Magdalena #1
story Ron Marz
art Nelson Blake II
cover Ryan Sook
April 28
32 Pages / FC
$3.99
The Star of the Forthcoming Feature Film Gets Her Own Series!
The Magdalena has been the official protector and warrior of the Catholic Church for over two thousand years, sworn to defend the Faith with the Spear of Destiny against all manner of supernatural threats. However, Patience, the latest Magdalena, has seen through the hypocrisy of her masters and struck out on her own. When her old mentor comes to her with a mission to prevent Armageddon, will she be able to resist the call?
From writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and the art team of Pilot Season: Murderer, Nelson Blake II, Sal Regla, and Dave McCaig. Featuring covers by Ryan Sook (Wednesday Comics)!
Witchblade #137
story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC
APRIL 14
32 PAGES / FC
$2.99
“Raise the Dead”, Guest-starring The Necromancer!
Sara Pezzini can gain an important ally in Abby van Alstine, the Necromancer ... but only if Sara can keep her alive! Abby's visit to New York City is interrupted by a demonic attack, and her only chance for surival is entering the world of the Witchblade.
story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC
APRIL 7
32 PAGES / FC / LIMITED SERIES
An ARTIFACTS lead-in series!
Casting The Darkness behind her, Dani moves further into the Light to accept her new role as The Angelus. But a familiar adversary is not about to let her and her companion Finch settle into New Orleans without incident! Will Dani see the vipers in her midst before it’s too late?
Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #3
story ROB LEVIN & BRYAN EDWARD HILL
art ALESSANDRO VITTI
cover TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
APRIL 21
32 PAGES / FC / LIMITED SERIES
$3.99
The ARTIFACTS lead-in heats up!
Elias and the Disciples of Eden are drawing closer and closer to Pandora’s Box, one of the 13 Artifacts, threatening to remake the world in their mad vision. Meanwhile Finn and Glori, the bearers of the Glacier and Ember Stones, race around the globe to beat the Disciples and each other to the same goal.
From newcomers Rob Levin (The Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Bryan Edward Hill (Broken Trinity: Aftermath), and artist Alessandro Vitti (Secret Warriors). Featuring covers by Tommy Lee Edwards (1985, Turf)!
Magdalena #1
story Ron Marz
art Nelson Blake II
cover Ryan Sook
April 28
32 Pages / FC
$3.99
The Star of the Forthcoming Feature Film Gets Her Own Series!
The Magdalena has been the official protector and warrior of the Catholic Church for over two thousand years, sworn to defend the Faith with the Spear of Destiny against all manner of supernatural threats. However, Patience, the latest Magdalena, has seen through the hypocrisy of her masters and struck out on her own. When her old mentor comes to her with a mission to prevent Armageddon, will she be able to resist the call?
From writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and the art team of Pilot Season: Murderer, Nelson Blake II, Sal Regla, and Dave McCaig. Featuring covers by Ryan Sook (Wednesday Comics)!
Witchblade #137
story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC
APRIL 14
32 PAGES / FC
$2.99
“Raise the Dead”, Guest-starring The Necromancer!
Sara Pezzini can gain an important ally in Abby van Alstine, the Necromancer ... but only if Sara can keep her alive! Abby's visit to New York City is interrupted by a demonic attack, and her only chance for surival is entering the world of the Witchblade.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Official Description Absolute Justice
Smallville: Official CW Description For "Absolute Justice!"
Here's the CW's official description for "Absolute Justice," the 2-hour Feb. 5 movie event of Smallville:
DC COMICS' CHARACTERS HAWKMAN, STAR GIRL AND DR. FATE FROM THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEET UP WITH CLARK AND HIS TEAM IN A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EVENT; PAM GRIER GUEST STARS — A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe's (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin). Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier). Posted on KryptonSite. Geoff Johns wrote the two-hour episode. Glen Winters directed the first hour (#3X5262) and Tom Welling directed the second hour (#3X5263).
Here's the CW's official description for "Absolute Justice," the 2-hour Feb. 5 movie event of Smallville:
DC COMICS' CHARACTERS HAWKMAN, STAR GIRL AND DR. FATE FROM THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEET UP WITH CLARK AND HIS TEAM IN A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EVENT; PAM GRIER GUEST STARS — A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe's (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin). Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier). Posted on KryptonSite. Geoff Johns wrote the two-hour episode. Glen Winters directed the first hour (#3X5262) and Tom Welling directed the second hour (#3X5263).
Monday, January 11, 2010
First Born/Broken Trinity Hardcover
The First Born/Broken Trinity Deluxe Hard Cover reprints the story of First Born, which explores the conflict between the forces of Light and Dark as New York City Police Office Sara Pezzini prepares to give birth to her first child. Desiring to tip the power balance in their own favor, the forces of Light and Dark covet the offspring of the Witchblade bearer! Broken Trinity acts as a thematic bookend, when a new Angelus bearer rises and two brand new Artifact bearers make their first appearance in the Top Cow Universe. With new players on the board upsetting a delicate balance, a Trinity will be broken and one bearer will dieTop Cow announced that they will be expanding the deluxe edition hard cover containing Broken Trinity to include First Born.
The hardcover will now contain both crossover miniseries collecting all three issues of Broken Trinity, the three tie-in issues featuring The Darkness, Angelus, and Witchblade, and Broken Trinity: Aftermath, all three issues of First Born, Witchblade #110–112. The hard cover also reprints the previously uncollected First Born: Aftermath, making the entirety of the First Born epic available in a single volume for the first time.
BROKEN FRONTIER: The First Born hardcover was originally (June 2009) thought up as a collection of the three FB-issues and the three Witchblade tie-ins for 100 USD and some thought that was pretty much for only 6 issues and less then 200 pages. There was some confusion in regards to the content. Later on it changed to include Broken Trinity and its spin-off one-shots and is now totaling 400 pages. Can you tell us something about that decision?
Ron Marz: Hey, man, I just write the stuff! Don't ask me the production details!
Phil Smith II: Filip Sablik came up with the idea to combine both stories together in one volume. Collecting the two biggest story lines of the Top Cow Universe (to date) in a single volume made for a good idea and justified its price point. It just made sense to reward the fans with more value and content.
BF: To compile a hardcover like this must be a lot more then just reprinting the original floppies. Can you tell the fans about the process behind the scenes?
RM: Again, Phil did all the heavy lifting on the book, so he can give you the gory details on putting it all together. From my perspective, I love big hardcover productions. I'm a hardcover whore, and the shelves in my office are stacked with DC Absolutes and Marvel Omnibus editions. So having a First Born/Broken Trinity hardcover is very, very cool to me. I love all the additional material in an Absolute or an Omnibus -- the sketches and design material, the scripts and notes. It's all a peak into the creative process, into all the work that goes into a series but is never seen by the readers. There's a wealth of that material in our volume; lots of designs and roughs by Stjepan Sejic, a couple of my scripts accompanied by the Stjepan and Phil Hester layouts.
PS: We wanted something real special. The trickiest feature was the “virgin” slipcase. The idea was for the package itself to be like an object of art rather than clobber supporters of Top Cow with ad copy. We managed to fit all the descriptive text, bar codes and logos on the top and bottom of the case. The wraparound art by Stjepan is versatile, and is featured on the case, the dust jacket and the poster insert.
BF: The picture shown on http://twitter.com/TopCow of the end result also showed posters and more. Can you tell me some more about the correct contents and the extras?
RM: Phil really went above and beyond to include as much as possible. When we were proofing the book, we went through a number of proofing rounds to make sure everything was perfect. I was really enthusiastic about how the supplemental material came together. And then I reminded myself that I'd seen all that material as we were working on the respective series. But almost all of it had never been seen by the readers –the character designs, the roughs, my scripts and the resulting layouts. The script-to-layout section really gives a glimpse into the process: the details of the scripts, how the artist interprets the script into a layout, how the layout is revised for the finished art.
PS: We had to do some digging for the bonus materials. Ron re-pieced the scripts together that he had revised and tweaked in the editorial process. Phil Hester dug up his thumbnails from a drive he had put to sleep in his garage that we hoped still worked. Stjepan combed through his notes to get his concept art, etc.
BF: What made you decide to add so much more content?
RM: One of the cool things is that Stjepan produces a wealth of design material, so we had a lot of it available to us. The First Born TPB has a nice section of extras, but this goes WAY beyond that.
PS: One of our goals with the trades is to give the fans the best story experience possible. Ron’s trades always read well, with the extra behind-the-scenes material as icing on the cake. I know I feel let down when I purchase a trade that does not include at least a few concept sketches or behind-the-scenes content. Top Cow’s approach is to always try to produce books that we, ourselves, would pay for. For the First Born • Broken Trinity Deluxe Hardcover, we went a little over the top by adding two scripts, concept designs on both series, all the covers plus variant covers and a real poster.
BF: What were the challenges of creating such a feisty volume?
RM: That's really a question for Phil, but I do want to say that he did a great job pulling everything together. There were a lot of disparate elements that were included, and he made everything fit together seamlessly. It's a well-designed, elegant package.
PS: The trickiest part was the wraparound cover—I had to guess at the dimension size for Stjepan before we were able to confirm the dimensions from the printer so he could start on the design for the cover. Luckily, I guessed correctly. Marrying two separate story lines published a year apart into one experience, while ensuring the two titles are distinctive, yet connected, is a major challenge. The section designs share some DNA, but each retained its own feel. The proportions of our standard books are also a little different, with the deluxe hardcover expanding to 8.5 inches by 12 inches. Luckily, we were able to cheat a bit without skewing any art. It all came together with everything came out looking just right.
BF: Will it also come out as a TPB?
RM: First Born is already available as a TPB, though it doesn't include the First Born: Aftermath material, which is a Darkness story by Phil Hester and Lee Moder, and a Magdalena story by Ryan Sook and I. I should add that the Magdalena story is one of my favorite stories ever, but then again, I'm probably biased. The Broken Trinity TPB just went off to press, so that should be out in a couple of months, by the time it's printed in Asia and shipped back. I don't think there are any plans to reproduce this complete volume as a trade. We set out to make this slipcase volume something unique, so I think we'd want to keep it that way.
PS: First Born • Broken Trinity will not come out as a trade; however, the Broken Trinity mini-series will come out as an awesome trade paperback. Priced really reasonably at $14.99, the Broken Trinity trade paperback will collect 8 issues of material, covers and sketches.
BF: How do you both feel now the package is complete? I mean, on the one side it must be thrilling to see something you wrote come into fruition like this must be exhilarating whereas I can also imagine that the designing of this total package and seeing the end result must also be something immensely satisfactory?
RM: I'm absolutely thrilled with it. And that's coming from someone who hardly ever looks at his own printed comics. By the time an issue is in print, I've seen the material so many times; I don't get real excited about it. But this is something I'm excited about.
PS: It came out really well, but I am biased. Everyone should see it for themselves. We do listen to feedback from our fans, and with each production, we get a little better. This is the second deluxe edition we have done after the Midnight Nation Deluxe, but the first for Top Cow “Universe” material. We pushed the design even further with the virgin slipcase. I am looking forward to what we can do on the next one…
The First Born/Broken Trinity Deluxe Hard Cover will arrive in all well-respected and self respecting comic stores around the globe at the end of January 2010.
The hardcover will now contain both crossover miniseries collecting all three issues of Broken Trinity, the three tie-in issues featuring The Darkness, Angelus, and Witchblade, and Broken Trinity: Aftermath, all three issues of First Born, Witchblade #110–112. The hard cover also reprints the previously uncollected First Born: Aftermath, making the entirety of the First Born epic available in a single volume for the first time.
BROKEN FRONTIER: The First Born hardcover was originally (June 2009) thought up as a collection of the three FB-issues and the three Witchblade tie-ins for 100 USD and some thought that was pretty much for only 6 issues and less then 200 pages. There was some confusion in regards to the content. Later on it changed to include Broken Trinity and its spin-off one-shots and is now totaling 400 pages. Can you tell us something about that decision?
Ron Marz: Hey, man, I just write the stuff! Don't ask me the production details!
Phil Smith II: Filip Sablik came up with the idea to combine both stories together in one volume. Collecting the two biggest story lines of the Top Cow Universe (to date) in a single volume made for a good idea and justified its price point. It just made sense to reward the fans with more value and content.
BF: To compile a hardcover like this must be a lot more then just reprinting the original floppies. Can you tell the fans about the process behind the scenes?
RM: Again, Phil did all the heavy lifting on the book, so he can give you the gory details on putting it all together. From my perspective, I love big hardcover productions. I'm a hardcover whore, and the shelves in my office are stacked with DC Absolutes and Marvel Omnibus editions. So having a First Born/Broken Trinity hardcover is very, very cool to me. I love all the additional material in an Absolute or an Omnibus -- the sketches and design material, the scripts and notes. It's all a peak into the creative process, into all the work that goes into a series but is never seen by the readers. There's a wealth of that material in our volume; lots of designs and roughs by Stjepan Sejic, a couple of my scripts accompanied by the Stjepan and Phil Hester layouts.
PS: We wanted something real special. The trickiest feature was the “virgin” slipcase. The idea was for the package itself to be like an object of art rather than clobber supporters of Top Cow with ad copy. We managed to fit all the descriptive text, bar codes and logos on the top and bottom of the case. The wraparound art by Stjepan is versatile, and is featured on the case, the dust jacket and the poster insert.
BF: The picture shown on http://twitter.com/TopCow of the end result also showed posters and more. Can you tell me some more about the correct contents and the extras?
RM: Phil really went above and beyond to include as much as possible. When we were proofing the book, we went through a number of proofing rounds to make sure everything was perfect. I was really enthusiastic about how the supplemental material came together. And then I reminded myself that I'd seen all that material as we were working on the respective series. But almost all of it had never been seen by the readers –the character designs, the roughs, my scripts and the resulting layouts. The script-to-layout section really gives a glimpse into the process: the details of the scripts, how the artist interprets the script into a layout, how the layout is revised for the finished art.
PS: We had to do some digging for the bonus materials. Ron re-pieced the scripts together that he had revised and tweaked in the editorial process. Phil Hester dug up his thumbnails from a drive he had put to sleep in his garage that we hoped still worked. Stjepan combed through his notes to get his concept art, etc.
BF: What made you decide to add so much more content?
RM: One of the cool things is that Stjepan produces a wealth of design material, so we had a lot of it available to us. The First Born TPB has a nice section of extras, but this goes WAY beyond that.
PS: One of our goals with the trades is to give the fans the best story experience possible. Ron’s trades always read well, with the extra behind-the-scenes material as icing on the cake. I know I feel let down when I purchase a trade that does not include at least a few concept sketches or behind-the-scenes content. Top Cow’s approach is to always try to produce books that we, ourselves, would pay for. For the First Born • Broken Trinity Deluxe Hardcover, we went a little over the top by adding two scripts, concept designs on both series, all the covers plus variant covers and a real poster.
BF: What were the challenges of creating such a feisty volume?
RM: That's really a question for Phil, but I do want to say that he did a great job pulling everything together. There were a lot of disparate elements that were included, and he made everything fit together seamlessly. It's a well-designed, elegant package.
PS: The trickiest part was the wraparound cover—I had to guess at the dimension size for Stjepan before we were able to confirm the dimensions from the printer so he could start on the design for the cover. Luckily, I guessed correctly. Marrying two separate story lines published a year apart into one experience, while ensuring the two titles are distinctive, yet connected, is a major challenge. The section designs share some DNA, but each retained its own feel. The proportions of our standard books are also a little different, with the deluxe hardcover expanding to 8.5 inches by 12 inches. Luckily, we were able to cheat a bit without skewing any art. It all came together with everything came out looking just right.
BF: Will it also come out as a TPB?
RM: First Born is already available as a TPB, though it doesn't include the First Born: Aftermath material, which is a Darkness story by Phil Hester and Lee Moder, and a Magdalena story by Ryan Sook and I. I should add that the Magdalena story is one of my favorite stories ever, but then again, I'm probably biased. The Broken Trinity TPB just went off to press, so that should be out in a couple of months, by the time it's printed in Asia and shipped back. I don't think there are any plans to reproduce this complete volume as a trade. We set out to make this slipcase volume something unique, so I think we'd want to keep it that way.
PS: First Born • Broken Trinity will not come out as a trade; however, the Broken Trinity mini-series will come out as an awesome trade paperback. Priced really reasonably at $14.99, the Broken Trinity trade paperback will collect 8 issues of material, covers and sketches.
BF: How do you both feel now the package is complete? I mean, on the one side it must be thrilling to see something you wrote come into fruition like this must be exhilarating whereas I can also imagine that the designing of this total package and seeing the end result must also be something immensely satisfactory?
RM: I'm absolutely thrilled with it. And that's coming from someone who hardly ever looks at his own printed comics. By the time an issue is in print, I've seen the material so many times; I don't get real excited about it. But this is something I'm excited about.
PS: It came out really well, but I am biased. Everyone should see it for themselves. We do listen to feedback from our fans, and with each production, we get a little better. This is the second deluxe edition we have done after the Midnight Nation Deluxe, but the first for Top Cow “Universe” material. We pushed the design even further with the virgin slipcase. I am looking forward to what we can do on the next one…
The First Born/Broken Trinity Deluxe Hard Cover will arrive in all well-respected and self respecting comic stores around the globe at the end of January 2010.
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